The former Alaskan governor said she would "bring the rope" needed to execute Jerry Sandusky, whose alleged assaults on eight children over 15 years are at the heart of a scandal that is gripping America.

Speaking to Fox News, Mrs Palin said: "I say about assistant coach Sandusky hang him from the highest tree and I will bring the rope. I think it's horrible, it's atrocious what took place. If it's true that these children were victimised then he himself and anybody who allowed what he did should be the ones to suffer," she said.

When asked to clarify whether she believed Sandusky was due a fair criminal trial, Mrs Palin repeated her claim he should be hanged, adding "if he is guilty of what has been alleged".

Mrs Palin has cast herself as a "mama grizzly" and a fierce advocate of family values and her comments reflect the anger felt by many American parents over the apparent cover-up that allegedly allowed Sandusky to continue abusing children for more than a decade.

The scandal has already claimed the career of Joe Paterno, Penn's state head football coach of 46 years, who was allegedly told of the abuse by his assistant Mike McQueary in 2002, but did nothing more than inform university authorities.

Yesterday, Mr McQueary, whose allegations that he saw Sandusky raping a child in the shower are at the heart of the prosecution, spoke for the first time about the claims.

Mr McQueary, who is a former player for Penn State, told a friend in an email that he had told police about the incident, a claim that contradicts his testimony to the grand jury.

In the November 8 email, where he said he was getting "hammered" by the public and the media for not coming forward with the allegation, he wrote: "I did have discussions with police and with the official at the university in charge of police."

Neither Penn State police nor Pennsylvania State Police returned a request for comment from the Telegraph.

Speaking to NBC News yesterday, Mr McQueary described himself as "shaken" but said there was nothing he could say while criminal proceedings were ongoing.

Sandusky denies the charges and said he was just "horsing around" with the young boys in the shower.